Trump's Proposed Federal Budget Is Bad for Bikes

The new administration’s 2018 budget was released on Tuesday, and there’s no other way to put it—the plan is bad news for bikes.

According to advocacy group PeopleForBikes, the proposed budget not only offers inadequate protection for public lands, but also strips funds from TIGER grant programs that have launched many of our favorite infrastructure projects, like Atlanta’s Beltline Trail, Chicago’s bikeshare system, and protected bike lanes in Boston; Washington, DC; and other US cities of all sizes. (Help put more butts on bikes by gifting potential riders with our Get Someone Riding Starter Kit!)

These proposed cuts would not only threaten the health and well-being of everyday cyclists who depend on access to safe bike infrastructure, but also strike an economic blow to communities reaping the many benefits of increased cycling. PeopleForBikes cites a recent study funded by the Outdoor Industry Association that found the outdoor recreation industry employs more than 7.6 million Americans and generates more than $887 billion annually. Bike friendliness is also a key indicator of a city’s livability, property values, and overall economic growth—critical boons that seem to be overlooked by the administration’s proposed plan.

"If we don’t speak loudly for what bicycling does for business, for jobs, for health, and for community, [funding for] it could easily get negotiated away."

“If approved as written, the Administration’s dramatic cuts to bicycling-related programs would make riding less safe and reduce the major economic benefits tied to bicycle use and the bicycle business," says PeopleForBikes President Tim Blumenthal. "We depend on federal investments that support bicycle infrastructure: This budget slashes them.”

Ride more safely in traffic with this tip for making left turns:

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Here are the three big parts of the new budget PeopleForBikes says will affect cycling, if it passes:

A 16 percent cut to the Department of Transportation and elimination of the TIGER grant program: The TIGER grant program has been a successful, low-cost way to help communities create projects encouraging multimodal and active transportation. It has garnered bipartisan support, and has created positive outcomes in cities like Indianapolis, Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston.

A 5.3 percent cut to Department of the Interior: This is the agency that manages one-fifth of US land, and according to PeopleForBikes, “provides many of the best US bicycling opportunities on roads, paths, and trails.”

An 83.9 percent cut in discretionary funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund: The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a bipartisan program that has funded parks, trails, bike paths, and other recreational infrastructure for more than 50 years.

As vice president of PeopleForBikes’ business network and government relations, Jenn Dice remains optimistic that Congress will recognize the plan’s errors and restore funding to our infrastructure before the plan passes.

“So many of these bike programs have bipartisan support in Congress,” she says. “We’ve been lobbying, calling, and doing executive fly-ins to Washington almost every week and will continue to champion all bicycle-related funding.”

What You Can Do
As for the rest of us, Dice says this is the time to get involved if you’re interested in the state of our bike paths and protected lanes.

Call and write your local Senators and Representatives, and attend town halls this summer to share your personal story about what safer cycling infrastructure means to you. For bipartisan support, be sure to lead with how bike infrastructure creates jobs, eases congestion, helps people get around cities, and boosts tourism and recreation. (Here’s a local statistics library from PeopleForBikes to support your statement.)

“There were a lot of things cut in that budget” apart from bike funding, Dice says. “Every group is calling their Congress members right now to make the case for increased funding. If we don’t speak loudly for what bicycling does for business, for jobs, for health, and for community, [funding for] it could easily get negotiated away.”

Adds Blumenthal, “Now is the time for businesses, communities, and individuals to contact their members of Congress to urge them to reject the Administration’s transportation spending plan.”

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